If you are thinking about getting a new pet for your home, no matter if it’s a reptile or a puppy, one of the first questions people ask is whether they should adopt a pet at the local animal shelter or purchase one from a breeder. While purchasing from a breeder certainly has some advantages, we are hoping you’ll choose to adopt your pet, and we’ve created a list with as many reasons as we could think of to convince you it is a better option. Keep reading while we explain why it’s better to adopt your next pet.

The 11 Best Benefits of Adopting a Pet

1. You Make More Friends

It may seem strange that adopting a pet can help you make more friends, but it’s true, especially if the pet you get is a dog. A dog will make you leave your house because they needs frequent walks, so you will likely run into people on the trips that you begin to recognize. These same people will become friends in time.

Even if you are not adopting a dog, you will find many people with the same animal you have with similar questions about how to care for them properly. This never-ending search for answers will make you lots of friends along the way. Adopting your pet will make you even more popular since you are a hero.

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2. You Are More Likely to Survive a Heart Attack

One study from the American Journal of Cardiology suggests that pet owners have a better chance of surviving at least one year after a heart attack. The study showed that people who lived with dogs were less likely to die within a year of having a heart attack.

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3. Adopting an Animal Can Help With PTSD

We’ve all seen the videos of soldiers reunited with their dogs, and most of us recognize that dogs can help us through tough times in our lives. The Walter Reed Memorial Hospital even has a program to help rehabilitate soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The good news for non-dog owners is that any pet can help us through these difficult times because we care for them, and they need us. It’s just that dogs get the most attention.

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4. Adopting a Pet Can Lower Blood Pressure

According to a Harvard Health publication, several studies show that dog owners usually have a lower blood pressure than non-dog owners. Most experts agree it’s because dogs and other pets have a calming effect on humans. Dogs also help owners stay more active, which can help reduce blood pressure.

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5. Dogs Can Help Recovering Addicts

Stress and other environmental factors can cause a relapse in recovering addicts and alcoholics. Adopting a pet can be a great way to help reduce stress levels to make recovery more manageable. In fact, some rehabilitation centers, like Promises, already recommend dogs as part of their treatment program.

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6. Reduced Need for Medication

A 2014 study suggested that having a dog assist with rehabilitation therapy after major joint surgery reduced a person’s need for medication by up to 28%. Most experts suggest that animal-assisted therapy can improve the quality of life and physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive health for patients. The lead author of the mentioned study concluded that “the animal-human connection is powerful in reducing stress and in generating a sense of well-being”.

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7. Pets Make Great Wingmen

Both men and women have plenty of stories of using their dogs as a way to meet a potential mate. Walking your pet will put you in contact with many people, and some can become more than just friends.

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8. Adopting Frees Up Important Resources

One of the main reasons we encourage people to adopt instead of using a pet store or breeder is that doing so will help free up resources that can help other pets in need. Most shelters are at or near capacity and don’t have the funds or support from the community to house a pet long-term, so it’s important to adopt when possible.

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9. Adopting Is Less Expensive

You can usually adopt even rare animals at a fraction of what it would cost from a breeder or pet store. In many cases, adopted pets will already have received some of the shots they require and may even be spayed or neutered, saving you hundreds of dollars on the initial purchase price in some cases.

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10. You Can Usually Take Your Adopted Pet Home Immediately

If you are used to dealing with breeders, you know that many have a long process you need to go through before you receive your dog, which can last several months, and that’s if there aren’t many people ahead of you already waiting. In some cases, you may need to wait a year or more before you can take your pet home. Adoption moves much quicker, and you can usually take your pet home the same day.

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11. You Are a Hero

The best reason we can give you to adopt a pet is that you are likely saving their life. As we mentioned earlier, most animal shelters are at maximum capacity and receive little help to keep the animals fed and well cared for. The longer an animal sits in the shelter, the more at risk they are of being euthanized. According to PETA, animal shelters handle more than 6 million animals each year, but nearly four million remain without a home. Many of the animals get euthanized. You can help prevent this problem by adopting a pet at the shelter and making sure your pet is spayed or neutered, so they don’t reproduce and create animals without a home.

 

Conclusion

We feel that the best reason to adopt a pet instead of purchasing them from a pet store or breeder is that you are saving that pet’s life. Adopting almost always saves you plenty of money, and you can usually take the pet home with you. You are also freeing up resources so that an animal in need can receive shelter, food, and treatment that it might not otherwise receive. If you have ever taken a pet home that has spent some time in the shelter, they are especially grateful to you and shower you with tons of love and affection that only grows over time

We hope you have enjoyed reading over our list, and it has helped answer your questions. If we have convinced you to avoid the pet store and breeders for your next pet, please share these 11 benefits of adopting your pet on Facebook and Twitter.

See also: 

• 10 Benefits of Owning a Pet
• 10 UK Pet Adoption Statistics & Facts to Know
• 10 Heartbreaking UK Endangered Species Statistics to Know

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Featured Image Credit: Piqsels